What is the deal with Republicans and their assault on education? As with other Republicans, Governor Corbett doesn't want to tax business but he's more than willing to dismantle the state education system. The middle class has already been kicked around by the rich during this recession and now they're going to be asked to pay even more. Why is business always exempt from the pain?
The Democrats haven't been great with sharing the pain, but the GOP is downright brutal. As I keep saying, why are others being made to pay the price for what we know was a Wall Street recession? The middle class is not an endless well of money. Is this what voters really wanted?
In the $27.3 billion budget he presented to lawmakers, Corbett proposed slashing spending on higher education by $644 million, including a more than 50 percent reduction for the 18 state-supported universities and colleges, which include Penn State, Pittsburgh and Temple. He also proposed a $1 billion cut for Pennsylvania's public schools.
"Despite state subsidies over the past decades, tuition has continued to increase," the governor said. "If the intent was to keep tuition rates down, it failed. We need to find a new model."
Students, faculty members and administrators are mobilizing to convince lawmakers, many of whom are on their side, that the cuts are unreasonable.
